Chicago Cubs: Javier Baez could be a long-term piece

Yes. End of the article?

C’mon, I can’t make it that easy for you.  I have to give Javy Baez’s stats and the overall context of the situation and then about 886 words later I’ll arrive at that same conclusion.

Up until this season, Javy Baez has been in countless trade rumors involving the Cubs trying to get a starter.  Now those rumors about the Cubs getting a pitcher haven’t died down, but Baez’s name doesn’t seem come up anymore.

Maybe it’s because he’s on the highlight real seemingly every night.  Or maybe it’s because he’s become a more disciplined hitter and cut down on strikeouts significantly.

One thing is for certain, he has found his way into Joe’s lineup card over the past two years.  Last season Baez played in 142 games, crushing his previous career high of 52 games back in 2014.

Year-to-date, Baez has played in 69 of the Cubs 79 games.  He has certainly picked up some responsibility at shortstop with the whole Addison Russell situation.

However, the question still remains: Is Javier Baez crucial to the Cubs long-term future?

I hate the term ‘untouchable’.  It rubs me the wrong way, just like ‘it’s a must-win game’.

As far as I’m concerned, everyone has a price.  Now you might be saying to yourself, ‘What about Clayton Kershaw, Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, etc.?  Aren’t they ‘untouchable’?’

I will grant you that it’s a fair question to ask.  But need I remind you that there were rumors last year about the Angels possibly trading Mike Trout for a boat-load of prospects?

I’m not saying that there aren’t exceptionally great players that shouldn’t be traded.  What I’m saying is that every single player, in every sport, has a price.

That’s the case for Baez as well.  Does this mean that I expect Baez to be dealt anytime soon?  No.

There’s no questioning that the Cubs have been banged up this year.

They’ve had key members of their team: Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist, Kyle Hendricks and Addison Russell miss significant playing time.  While this may not be the best scenario for the team, Baez has been able to step up and showcase his versatility.

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There’s one player in particular whose absence has been a big part of Baez’s success: Addison Russell.  Now I don’t want to get into off-the-field issues, but Addison Russell has had a rough year thus far.

He has career lows in batting average (.230), OBP (.298), and  OPS+ (83).  The defensive metrics aren’t exactly up to Russell’s standards either.

Javier Baez also crushes Russell in the versatility column too.  Just to give you an idea, Javier Baez has played every position besides center, pitcher, and catcher.

As you probably know, Russell initially came up as a second baseman.  Since he and Starlin Castro flip-flopped positions in August of 2015, Russell hasn’t played anywhere else on the diamond.